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My Little Pony Annual 2014
My Little Pony Annual 2014 is an annual edition comic released by IDW Publishing. It features two stories: a 40-page story about the original Power Ponies and an 8-page Equestria Girls featurette starring the Mane-iac and her human doppelgänger. "Return of the Mane-iac" was originally released in special editions of and distributed at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International. Summary Power Ponies In the fictional city of Maretropolis, a super-villain named Pharaoh Phetlock has just robbed a museum of priceless artifacts. As he makes his getaway, the Power Ponies stop him. As the super-powered ponies deal with Phetlock's mummy minions, Hum Drum knocks Phetlock out by comically falling on top of him. Some time later, at an appreciation ceremony held by Maretropolis' Mayor Blossom, the Power Ponies are presented with another key to the city in recognition of their heroism. When asked by a reporter what the secret to their success is, the Masked Matter-Horn says it's teamwork. Upon returning to their headquarters, the Power Ponies (except Hum Drum) immediately lash out at one another, resentful of each other's company. Matter-Horn, just as bitter as the others, says as long as they act like a team in public, they can argue as much as they want in the privacy of their headquarters. With that, the ponies each retire to their own rooms, leaving a dismayed Hum Drum alone. Meanwhile, at Maretropolis' Balkham Asylum, super-villains Pharaoh Phetlock, Long-Face, Smudge, and High Heel meet and bemoan their continuous defeats at the hands of the Power Ponies. As they talk, the Mane-iac enters and suggests forming an alliance against the Power Ponies together. The other villains are intrigued by the idea, and with the help of another villain named Shadowmane, they stage a jailbreak. At their headquarters, the Power Ponies hear an alarm being raised at Sparkle Labs. After a brief leadership argument between Matter-Horn and Mistress Mare-velous, the ponies rush onto the scene and find the Mane-iac's league of villains waiting for them. Through the villains' teamwork, the Power Ponies are quickly defeated one by one. With the exception of Hum Drum, the ponies are hooked up to a device that transfers their superpowers to the villains: Pharaoh Phetlock gains Fili-Second's powers, Long-Face gains Radiance's, Shadowmane gains Mare-velous', Smudge gains Zapp's, High Heel gains Saddle Rager's, and the Mane-iac gains Matter-Horn's. Now even more powerful than before, the villains leave to wreak havoc on the city. The powerless heroes wonder how they were defeated, and Hum Drum says it was because of friendship. The young colt calls out his teammates on their unfriendly behavior and says if they want to defeat the villains and get their powers back, they need to become a better team—and better friends. Through Hum Drum's guidance and lessons (inspired by his favorite television show), the Power Ponies take part in various friendly activities and trust-building exercises, becoming closer as a result. Now armed with the power of friendship, the Power Ponies go to challenge the super-villains a second time, but they are swiftly defeated and captured again. Mare-velous says it isn't enough for them to be friends; they need to break up the villains' friendship as well. In the heart of the villains' lair, Pharaoh Phetlock discovers the Power Ponies have escaped. Fili-Second lures him away from the other villains and, from the shadows, implants feelings of inadequacy in his head. Elsewhere, Zapp and Saddle Rager turn the other villains against one another. With the villains at each other's throats, Radiance repairs the power transfer device and restores the Power Ponies' abilities. The villains are taken into custody and the Power Ponies commend Hum Drum for his lessons on friendship. The ponies return to their headquarters and watch Hum Drum's television show "My Little Donkey." Return of the Mane-iac In a bonus story, the Mane-iac escapes from prison and returns to her shampoo factory, the site of her previous defeat. As she curses the Power Ponies' name and wishes for a world where they don't exist, she discovers a strange mirror and steps through it. On the other side, she finds a world populated by human beings. As the Mane-iac ponders on the evil she can make in this new world, she encounters a human version of herself. Their chance meeting is heated and violent at first, but the two soon discover that they are the same individual. The two Mane-iacs talk, and the pony Mane-iac learns that this world has its own version of the Power Ponies. They agree to work together in their separate universes to accomplish their evil goals, though each of them plans to betray the other eventually. The Mane-iacs bid farewell, and the pony Mane-iac uses the magic mirror to return to her own world. The comic ends with a shot of human Rainbow Dash reading the Mane-iac comic, confused by the idea of a "four legged Mane-iac." Quotes Power Ponies :Narrator: Some ponies will stop at nothing to get what they want! Some ponies like... the Phony Pharaoh! :Pharaoh Phetlock: That's Pharaoh Phetlock, you incompetent narrator! :Narrator: Oh, sorry. :Mistress Mare-velous: I don't know why I waste my time with you losers! I should be out there fighting crime on my own! :Radiance: I hardly got to appear at all! :Zapp: Cease your complaining, Radiance! Your visage has already graced three magazine covers this month! :Masked Matter-Horn: Ugh! I'm off to my room. I don't know why this team stays together! :Mane-iac: Soon, those hapless heroes will find themselves defeated by—the League of Villainy! Eee hee hee hee hee! :High Heel: "League of Villainy"? Rather generic, don't you think? Maybe "Alliance"? :Shadowmane: What about "Malevolence" instead of "Villainy"? :Mane-iac: ...We'll discuss this at the first meeting. :Masked Matter-Horn: Hey! I'm the team leader, so I give the orders! :Mistress Mare-velous: So hurry up and give them already! :Masked Matter-Horn: ...Do what she said. :Hum Drum: You know what I saw when those villains captured us? Friends! You know what I see when I look at us? A bunch of jerks! :Mistress Mare-velous: Wow, Humdrum! Where did this come from? :Hum Drum: Television! I've been watching this show all about friendship and how it's magic! :Masked Matter-Horn: Sorry to bother you, but... when you're done with your emotional breakdown, can we take you to prison? :Pharaoh Phetlock: Oh, let's just get it over with. Return of the Mane-iac :Pony Mane-iac: What's this? Seems to be some kind of magical teleporting mirror! (And it smells like cupcakes!) :Pony Mane-iac: These... creatures don't even look like ponies! Perhaps they're some form of wingless imp? :Human Mane-iac: Who are you?! Tell me your secrets. :Human Mane-iac: "Mane-iac"? But... that's what I call myself! :Pony Mane-iac: Eh? Then... we're both Mane-iacs? I thought I'' was the only one! :'Human Mane-iac': Me ''too-hoo-hoo-hoooo! :Pony Mane-iac: Heroes in this world, too? A pox on their potentially pan-dimensional presence! :Human Mane-iac: A pox! :Rainbow Dash: A four-legged Mane-iac? This comic is weird.